Coping without bridge

LYDIA — The 26-mile alternate route to Cypremort Point and Weeks Island because of the Bayou Warehouse Bridge closure is causing drastic slowdowns for businesses near the bridge and residents who normally take the bridge to work.

The bridge on Louisiana 83 was wiped out by a loose, rogue barge belonging to Parker Drilling during Hurricane Ike and will take anywhere from nine months to a year to be replaced, said state Department of Transportation and Development Administrator Bill Fontenot.

Owners and managers at Lydia Food Mart and Hebert’s Mini Mart, both located near the bridge, say regular customers who work in the area are not traveling through Lydia, which is hurting businesses.

“A lot of workers at the salt mine (Morton Salt) and the Port of West St. Mary aren’t going to stop in for a drink or for breakfast if it’s not on their way,” said L’ree Hebert, co-owner of Hebert’s.

Hebert said since the bridge was demolished, she has been closing the kitchen in the store a half-hour earlier than usual and reducing the amount of food she cooks.

Across the street at Lydia Food Mart, cashier Helen Lester said she arrived at work at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday and did not check out a single customer until 8 a.m.

Debbie Strickland, assistant manager at Lydia Food Mart, said weekend visitors to Cypremort Point usually keep the store busy Thursdays through Sundays, but not since the bridge has been closed.

“It’s really unusual to see an empty parking lot on Sunday evenings,” she said. “We’re thinking about changing our closing time on Sundays.”

Iberia Parish Council requested a temporary bridge from DOTD, but Fontenot said at Wednesday’s Parish Council meeting a temporary bridge is not feasible at this time.

“There’s not enough space to build a temporary bridge while the permanent bridge is being built,” Fontenot said. “Hopefully it (the bridge) will take less than nine months. The contractor has an incentive to get a $200,000 bonus if he finishes it faster.”

Councilman John Berard questioned Fontenot on the feasibility of a ferry to take people and vehicles until the bridge is built. Fontenot said DOTD can look into that possibility once the barge and debris surrounding the bridge are removed.

“There are no easy solutions,” Fontenot said. “As we take debris out, we can look at the depth of the stream and other factors. We’re trying to get this done as quickly as possible.”

State Rep. Simone Champagne, D-Jeanerette, said at the meeting that effected farmers and businesses can join the state’s lawsuit against Parker Drilling.

Parker Drilling’s lawyer, Etienne Balart of New Orleans, filed a suit in federal court this week claiming that the company has the right to be excluded from “all claims resulting or arising from the incident.”

Balart said it is a standard legal procedure to ensure all claims from any party relating to the incident be heard under one “forum.”

“Parker has and will continue to work with all proper agencies (local, state and federal), as well as other involved private parties, to resolve this issue,” Balart said in an e-mail.

Fontenot said DOTD will seek damages from the responsible party because of the expense of having the bridge shut down and replaced.

Strickland said she believes the expense of fixing the bridge rests with Parker Drilling.

“They should be liable for putting the bridge back up,” she said. “They should’ve had the boat tied down.”